Life of a Fool (London Brothers Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

thing apart, and I wanted even more
proof about the people he was dealing with.  I needed it.  My gut told
me to hold tight to any and all leverage I compiled against Antonio.
    So, I argued back, throwing the accusations at him until he
completely flipped out and beat the holy shit out of me.  I remember being
completely shocked that my husband of six years, whom I loved so dearly for
most of that time, was beating the living hell out of me.  He wanted to hurt
me.  Would stop at nothing in order to force me to submit to his version of the
truth.  And he didn’t stop until I begged for my life.  I told him over and
over how wrong I was…that he was right.  It was my mistake.  No…I didn’t give
in.  I didn’t believe his shit.  I simply did what I had to do to live.  I saw
his black, dead eyes.  He would have kept beating me until I stopped moving,
stopped breathing.  The demons driving his decisions for that last year were
fully in control of my well-being that night, and had he killed me, no one
would have ever found my body.  I knew it, and all I could think about was
Jason.  How he would never know what happened to me.  How he would have felt
abandoned, alone.  I had to live for him…and me. 
    My pleas worked, and Antonio stopped.  He left me there on
the floor with a broken arm, ribs cracked from his fancy Italian shoes kicking
me over and over, and bruises on my face, arms, and legs.  I didn’t even call
for help.  I was so scared that I barely felt the pain wracking my body.  I had
to get help.  He could’ve come back at any moment and finished me off. 
    I managed to get my broken body to a neighbor’s house for
help, but swore him to secrecy over the incident even though he wanted to kill
Antonio.  I almost called Jason again that night.  My call a few weeks before,
with the excuse of checking on Derek, wasn’t fully altruistic.  Yes, I was
worried about Jason’s brother, but truthfully, things were escalating between
Antonio and me, and Jason was my safety.  Just hearing his voice calmed me.  I
was so worried when days went by without a word from my friend.
    Antonio stayed away for two days, then came back and acted
as if nothing was wrong.  It scared the hell out of me.  He didn’t even
acknowledge the cast on my arm or the slow movement I made as I walked
throughout the house.  All I could think about was how void he was of any
emotion over what he’d done to me.  He wouldn’t stop the next time.  I was
sure.
    Enough was enough.  I had to get myself out.  That was the
night Jason had called me back, and I fell to my knees thanking God for the
miracle of my best friend.  I had to cut our call short because Antonio was
home, and if he’d walked in on me taking to Jason…well, I didn’t want to think
about what would’ve happened.  I was so weak as it was.  I don’t think I could
have put up much of a fight.  Thinking back on a few things, I don’t believe
Antonio was jealous of Jason.  His mind was riddled with the guilt of what he
was doing, and he projected that on anything I did or didn’t do. 
    By the next morning when he
called again, I was scared out of my mind as I quickly and quietly planned my
escape.  Antonio’s calm demeanor could only mean something bad.  Maybe he was
planning something, like getting rid of his wife.  He didn’t seem at all
concerned about anyone asking questions about my injuries, after all.
    *****
    I let Jason just hold me as the stress of the last few days
overwhelmed me and I cried.  I could feel how tense he was and see the worry in
both his and Craig’s eyes about my injuries and our tricky departure from
Italy.  It was true that Antonio’s arms stretched far and wide across a large
portion of the country.  We just needed to get on a plane as soon as possible
and back to the States. 
    “Jace, what will we do if we can’t get on a flight today?” 
I didn’t lift my head.
    Jason’s hand rubbed up and down